it's the new year!

i think i say this every year, but the years really do zoom past quickly!
and the end of each year always calls for reflection of some sort, so, i guess here's my 2007 in a nutshell(:

1) SWAKUS!
the first bunch of new friends i made in RJ! (not counting the people i already knew)
orientation was a really fun experience, and walking around school today looking at the new J1s having their orientation really brought back memories (:
anw, we said we would never drift apart, but i guess it happens even though we don't want it to. At least we have our outings!
Like the rather successful one at fish&co during the hols (:
and bumping into each other along the corridors, which is always nice(:
we must have more outings okay! :D

2) 08S03H!
i have to admit, i didn't really have a good first impression of the class, even though there were 4 of us from 412 moving up to 3H together.
i guess it was because orientation was ending, and having bonded so well after 4 days with my OG, it was kind of hard to accept the fact that we were all separating and going to different classes
And i think i was quite sad when i found out no one from SWAKUS was going to be in the same class as me, not to mention you have to get to know a whole new bunch of people.

But of course, that changed with time!
and i would never trade 3H for any other class!
sure, we have our quirks like the really bad habit of stoning at the same spot for AGES even after we've decided where to go (like RI or thomson plaza for lunch when we had the really long break on monday)
amusing the teachers by being childish and doing weird things in class (i remember the balloon episode and the random shout-outs during one of the econs tutorials after promos when we were watching a movie in class 8D )
and many many others which i can't remember on the spur of the moment but is what makes us 3H (:
sadly, it's our 2nd and last year together but we'll have plenty of opportunities to make more memories together, especially after we've defeated the dreaded A's!
and of course there must be class reunions after we've graduated :D

3) SEA AGE 2007
This sea age was already my 4th one and it wasn't even held overseas, but it was special cause it was my first time being captain(-ess)!
especially since the group was extra-big due to it being hosted in Singapore.
even though i didn't really do alot, and probably didn't have as much responsibility as i would have if it was held overseas, it was still a terrific experience!
working with russ and christel to come up with the item, teach the item, and watching everyone perform on the last night was a really good feeling.
and it was great working with the captain! ha (:

4) CTs
was probably the first time i took an exam in a big hall with so many people!
even PSLE was held in class.
it was definitely a different experience but post-CTs was such a good feeling!
even knowing that promos were coming right up..

5) all the major comps
Asean schools in Bangkok, AIG in Macau, FINA world cup in Sinapore and in Brazil.
it was my first time taking part in all these meets so even though the swims weren't too good, they were great experiences!
especially the major ones like the FINA world cup, where the camera's trained right at your face during the finals so everyone can see it on the big screen, and you have to wear the lane number sticker on your shirt.
and of course the fact that it was my first time swimming short course ever!
i still can't decide which i like better. ha.

6) Attachment at Mt. Pleasant
again, another wonderful experience which i wouldn't mind reliving.
even though we did alot of standing around and watching, while i was filling in the (long overdue) feedback form today, there was a section on what skills/lessons you have learnt from the attachment and i was forced to stop and think of exactly what i had learnt.
and i realised that i have actually learnt many many things!

like for instance even though we were only allowed to watch surgeries, it was still a learning experience!
seeing how incisions are made, how the bleeders are causterized, the thoroughness required when stitching up the wound.
(and contrary to popular belief, during surgery the inside of the animal isn't just a red bloody mess that you grope around in, it's actually quite "clean" and usually doesn't have much blood spilling around, unless you cut through a huge vein/artery or something)

not to mention how the animals are prepped for sugery, the anaesthesizing, shaving off the incision site and swabbing it down with lots of disinfectant, intubating the animal, monitoring the heartbeat of the animal during surgery and turning up/down the anaesthesia accordingly.

and all the other non-surgery related stuff like taking the temperature of the animals (by stuffing the thermometer up their butts, to put it simply), how to set up an IV drip, how to syringe-feed so you don't waste any food/choke the animal, how to handle the animals, esp during procedures like taking blood, what consultations are like, how the admin work is done, etc etc

i think i could go on and on but i'd better move on (:

7)holiday-ing in Taiwan
i guess all the other experiences in Taiwan paled in comparison with soaking in the hot spring!
the shopping was good, but it was the first time in my life soaking in a hot spring!
and not even a pseudo-hot spring where you sit in a private resort in some fancy tub with spring water pumped in through pipes.

Noo.. the experience in taiwan was way better!
sitting in the natural outdoor hot spring, which was near the banks of the really clear blue river, mingling with the locals.
the water that comes out is REALLY hot, around 80 degrees celsius so you have to be careful where you step and sit.
and it was quite cool cause while that part's really nice and warm, the rest of the river was freezing!
and they even created a makeshift sauna which was basically made up of a tent-like structure around a grill-covered hole in the ground where they pour the hot spring water.
and it was different cause we were there after the sun had set, and the inside of the tent was pitch BLACK and REALLY hot. ha.

8)joining cross
which only happened the last few weeks of December.
well, i can't say much about it yet, except that i enjoy trainings and i think it's going to be a great experience! (:

so, that pretty much summed up my 2007!
(a pretty long summary i think. hehe)
thank you everyone who made my 2007 such a wonderful year!

it was a great year, but i hope 2008 will be even better!
even with the stress of the A's on our shoulders, i hope we'll all still make time for each other and for all the other things which will ultimately contribute to our overall growth as Rafflesians (:

a day late, but
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! (: